Christopher J. Townsend has experience in all aspects of energy, public utility, communications, and environmental law and regulation. He represents commercial and industrial energy users and competitive telecommunication, natural gas, and electric providers in proceedings before the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. On a state and national level, he has been involved in a wide variety of regulatory proceedings with an emphasis on matters related to restructuring in the energy and telecommunications industries. Additionally, he has represented wireless and PCS providers and an association of Illinois hospitals in state certification matters.

Mr. Townsend was actively involved with electric deregulation debates before the Illinois General Assembly on behalf of a coalition including energy marketers, developers, and industrial, institutional, commercial, and residential consumers. He continues to represent commercial and industrial energy users and new competitors in proceedings before the Illinois Commerce Commission to implement the amendments to the Illinois Public Utilities Act.

On a national level, he also regularly assists large industrial and commercial consumers in negotiating natural gas, electric, on-site generation, chilled water supply, and cable and telecommunications contracts. He also has served as counsel to several consortia comprised of retail energy suppliers and large industrial, commercial, and institutional electricity consumers; a public water district; and a small privately owned water company.

Mr. Townsend has also worked closely with developers of independent power plants, counseling them on regulatory and administrative law issues. Mr. Townsend has prepared formal legal opinions and provided other analysis supporting financial and merger-related transactions. He regularly counsels clients in strategic analyses and structuring transactions to conform to legal and regulatory requirements.

Based on peer and client reviews, Chambers and Partners, a respected English research firm, has selected Mr. Townsend as one of America’s leading Energy lawyers, referring to him as "ultra-knowledgeable" and noting that he is "excellent at the fundamentals of energy law" and a “great attorney with a lot of depth in alternative energy issues.” He has been designated an Illinois Super Lawyer, as the result of research projects conducted jointly by Law & Politics and Chicago magazines. He is named in The Best Lawyers in America. In 2008, Corporate Counsel magazine recognized him as one of its Top Lawyers.

Mr. Townsend has authored numerous legal publications and regularly speaks to public and private groups across the country concerning all aspects of public utilities and energy law.

Representative projects include:

• Provision of advice to a national real estate investment trust with an ownership interest in over 100 facilities regarding electric deregulation issues and strategies throughout the United States.
• Representation of a statewide association in certification and regulatory proceedings related to local competition and the authority to operate as a telecommunications carrier.
• Representation of a coalition of large industrial and institutional customers, including General Mills, Inc., Mobil Oil Corporation, the Art Institute of Chicago, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Sherman Hospital, and Koppers Industries, Inc., opposing a request by Commonwealth Edison Company to increase electric rates to owners of on-site generation by over $300 million annually.
• Representation of a coalition of large industrial customers, including Akzo-Nobel Chemicals, Inc., Alden Press, Alumax Extrusions Inc., General Mills, Inc., Mobil Oil Company, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, and the Uno-Ven Company, opposing a request by Northern Illinois Gas Company to restructure and redesign natural gas rates.
• Representation of a coalition of retail electric suppliers in a proceeding before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to determine whether and under what conditions a regional transmission organization should expand.
• Negotiation of a national electric service agreement for a retailer with over 300 locations nationwide.
• Representation of new competitors in the electric industry in rulemaking proceedings establishing the ground rules for deregulating the Illinois electric utility industry and in the subsequent appeals of those proceedings.
• Evaluation of utility contracts for a potential purchaser of a large manufacturing facility with annual utility bills in excess of $13 million annually.
• Representation of a coalition of retail electric suppliers in the delivery services tariffs proceedings of the eight investor-owned utilities in Illinois.
• Representation of a statewide association of heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors in regulatory matters and legislative matters before the Illinois General Assembly.

Członkostwo

• Illinois
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Memberships

• American Bar Association: Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law Committee; Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Committee; Business Law Committee; Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Committee
• Chicago Bar Association: Public Utility Law Committee; YLS Environmental and Energy Committee
• Illinois State Bar Association: Public Utilities and Transportation Section
• Environmental Law Institute

Seminars

• Quarterly speaker on regulatory and legislative issues for the Northern Illinois Energy Users.